Contents

History

The first European-American settlers in Phelps County arrived in the early 19th century, working as farmers and iron workers along the local rivers, such as the
Meramec, the
Gasconade, and the
Little Piney. In 1844, John Webber built the first house in what became the City of Rolla. Nine years later, railroad contractor Edmund Ward Bishop, considered to be the founder of Rolla, settled in the area. The state officially established Rolla as a town in 1858.

Two stories account for how Rolla was named. One story, widely regarded as a folk legend, and acknowledged as such by the Phelps County Historical Society, arises from the competition between Rolla and neighboring Dillon, Missouri, to be designated the county seat. When Rolla was made the county seat in 1861, the residents of Dillon, having lost a round, were allowed to choose the name of the new city and named it Rolla, after a good-for-nothing hunting dog.

The more widely accepted story came from a citizens' meeting about naming the town. Webber was said to prefer the name Hardscrabble (which was used to describe the soils in the region) and Bishop pushed for the name Phelps Center. New settlers from
North Carolina voted to name the community after
Raleigh their hometown but chose to spell the Missouri version phonetically.

With numerous settlers from the South, many residents of Rolla leaned toward the
Confederacy during the
American Civil War and the town was taken by Union forces in June 1861. They built two minor forts —
Fort Wyman and
Fort Dette — during their occupation. Rolla was also the location of Camp Glover and Camp Davies. From 1863 to 1865, Rolla was the regimental headquarters of the 5th
Missouri State Militia.[8]

For most of its history, Rolla has served as a transportation and trading center. It was the original terminus of the
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, colloquially known as the "Frisco Line". Today, the
BNSF Railway directly runs through the town.

There were 7,574 households of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were
married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.3% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 26.2 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 29.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 17.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 55.0% male and 45.0% female.

There were 6,514 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were
married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city, the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 25.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,479, and the median income for a family was $38,975. Males had a median income of $31,861 versus $19,625 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,916. About 13.8% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Royal Canin, a major manufacturer of dog and cat food, operates in Rolla. Small-engine manufacturer
Briggs & Stratton operated a major plant in Rolla from 1996 to 2007.

Brewer Science, a nationwide manufacturer of semiconductors, is headquartered in Rolla.

Education

Rolla is an important center for state and federal education and research in science and technology. It is the home of the
Missouri University of Science and Technology, founded as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in 1870 and known as the University of Missouri–Rolla from 1964 through 2007. Missouri S&T, as it's now known, is well known for its engineering and computer science departments. In addition, the
US Geological Survey operates a large regional facility with various centers: the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center III, the Missouri Water Science Center, the Mid-Continent Geographic Science Center, National Spatial Data Infrastructure Partnership Office Liaisons, and the Rolla Science Information and Library Services office.